Nostalgia: From the archives

Published:11:00

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In this week 30 years ago:

Heckmondwike folk were urged to continue the fight to save the town’s fire station. Following the decision of the county council to seek approval for the closure of the 80-year-old fire station in High Street, Batley and Spen Conservative Association chairman Alan Carcas said: “This is not the end. I urge local people and organisations to follow my example and protest. I am sorry to say once again ‘I told you so’, but the pending closure of the fire station comes as no surprise.”

The dry summer meant Cleckheaton and Liversedge had been made subject of a hosepipe ban. The ban had been in place for the rest of Kirklees since the beginning of June .The personal use of a hosepipe on gardens or cars was also banned, with a maximum fine of £400.

Plans for additional holiday playschemes had been slammed by Kirklees Conservatives as a way of giving money to striking miners. During a meeting of the educational committee, where the plans were announced , deputy leader of Kirklees Tories Jane Carter said: “In mining areas, there are parents able to give up their time for their children and it would be far better if they were doing it individually rather than at the council’s expense.”

In this week 50 years ago:

An Ossett-bound bus and a tanker collided with one another in Heckmondwike, causing tailbacks as far as Mirfield. One of the passengers on the bus was taken to hospital after suffering from a bruised head. The crash only caused slight damage to the tanker, but caused substantial damage to the bus, including a smashed windscreen. The crash, which happened in King Street, Heckmondwike, caused delays in Huddersfield Road, Mirfield, until the vehicles were removed.

More than £1,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from a house in Mirfield. Mr and Mrs John Davies returned to their home in Park Drive after a weekend away to find the door had been left ajar and their bedroom ransacked. Among the stolen goods were three diamond rings, gold and platinum earrings and a pearl necklace. The thieves also made off with a safe. Mrs Davies told the Reporter: “We have been able to itemise 30 different items of jewellery missing, worth well over £1,000.

Heckmondwike Library was suffering staff shortages which councillors at a finance committee warned might close the library for the Spen holiday week. Due to a lack of staff, it was suggested the library could close on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

In this week 75 years ago:

A shocking accident took place at a mill when a man engaged in demolition work fell and sustained injuries, resulting in his death at Dewsbury Hospital. An inquest heard that Mr Willie Sugden, 55, dislocated his neck and fractured his skull during a dismantling of a bridge at messrs. Cooke in Liversedge. After one of the machines came into difficulty, Mr Sugden said to colleagues: “I will show you how to make this go,” before accidentally striking his head against something and falling to the ground from a height of more than 10 feet. Frances Sugden, Mr Sugden’s widow, said her husband was experienced in demolition work and was a healthy man. After the accident, she saw him in the infirmary, but he did not tell her what had happened to him during the incident.

Despite some unseasonably unsettled weather, the Ossett Common Carnival proved to be a roaring success, with the procession the longest on record. Elsie Bell, the carnival queen, was accommodated on a beautifully decorated wagon, surrounded by a guard of honour. The crowning ceremony was performed by the Mayoress of Ossett, Mrs O Bettley, but the later programme had to be varied because of the heavy rain.